Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 361, I was unable to vote due to a recent medical procedure. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yes.''

Mr. Chair, I rise today to express my sincere thanks to Chairman Frank Lucas for his acceptance of the amendment to the Farm Bill that I offered with my colleagues from New York Reps. Chris Gibson and Tim Bishop. Our amendment would require the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a study and no later than 180 days after enactment report back to the relevant committees in the House and Senate an analysis of energy use in USDA facilities, a list of energy audits that have been conducted at USDA facilities, a list of energy efficiency projects that have been conducted at USDA facilities and a list of energy savings projects that could be achieved with additional mechanical insulation at USDA facilities.

Thermal Insulation for piping, equipment, and other mechanical devices, known as mechanical insulation, is a proven energy efficiency and emission reduction technology that will reduce costs, save energy, and improve personnel safety. It is also important to point out that 95 percent of all mechanical insulation products used in the United States are manufactured in the United States.

As you are well aware, buildings are responsible for 40 percent of the United States energy demand and emissions, which makes efficiency gains in this area crucial if we are to markedly reduce America's energy consumption. To give you a sense of the impact mechanical insulation can have on our country, the National Insulation Association estimates that implementing a comprehensive mechanical insulation maintenance program in the commercial and industrial market segments would lead to annual energy savings of 1.22 quads of primary energy or $3.8 billion and returns on investment ranging from 25-100 percent.

We, as Members of Congress, should be taking a leading role in ensuring energy efficiency is a priority in our country. What better way to lead than to look in our federal buildings at the ways we utilize, or unfortunately, the ways we all too often do not utilize and maintain a low cost, high impact American product that is proven to save energy and money.

By passing this amendment we are asking the Department of Agriculture to help lead the way for others to follow by reducing its energy cost and emissions with the increased use of a proven technology, simply known as mechanical insulation.

Thank you, chairman.

Today, I rise in strong support of the Goodlatte-Scott amendment. The farm bill, as is, artificially increases the price of milk and cheese. And where I come from, this will devastate my local delis, my specialty food stores and restaurants throughout Staten Island, Brooklyn and throughout our Nation.

As for oversupply, today, New York is America's yogurt capital. That industry accounts for almost $1 billion--with a B--in economic growth, revenue and 15,000 jobs.

Yet while we repeatedly talk about jobs and entrepreneurship, Chobani yogurt exemplifies this as a true American success story. Started in 2005, Chobani has transformed a groundbreaking new industry of Greek yogurt in America. But without an adequate milk supply at reasonable prices, Chobani, local delis and other companies will have a limited ability to grow and keep their products reasonably priced.

For this reason, I urge my colleagues to support the Goodlatte amendment.

I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment that would reduce fraud in the SNAP program.

The farm bill currently requires the USDA to create pilot programs around the Nation that leverage Federal-State partnerships to combat SNAP retailer fraud.

My amendment requires the USDA to include at least one of the top 10 largest urban areas as one of the pilot program locations. To be clear, the bill specifically states that any State or large urban area chosen for a pilot program would not be able to divert resources away from recipient anti-fraud efforts; thus, this program only supplements those recipient fraud efforts.

This is a critically important amendment because we must ensure that the pilot programs account for the unique structure of SNAP programs within large urban areas. For instance, in one Midwest State, 75 percent of SNAP benefits were redeemed in just eight large supermarkets or publicly owned convenience store chains.

But the urban environment is distinctly different. As an example, New York City has over 10,000 SNAP retailers--of which 80 percent are small, privately owned retailers. According to recent statistics, while 87 percent of SNAP transactions occur in large supermarkets, they account for only 5.4 percent of retailer trafficking.

Conversely, 9 percent of SNAP retailers are privately owned--small convenience stores in local neighborhoods--but they account for 80 percent of SNAP fraud.

Therefore, to be successful in combating retailer fraud, we must ensure that we're able to investigate fraudulent activities at these small, privately owned stores. To do this, we must ensure that a large urban area is included in at least one of these pilot programs, in one location. If we fail to include a large urban area in the pilot program, we will miss a large portion of retailers responsible for 80 percent of the retailer fraud.

This amendment will not take a pilot program away from any other State or determine which large urban area must receive a program. It only says that to

ensure we receive fully accurate information from the pilots, that we must include at least one large urban area.

I yield to the gentleman from Oklahoma.

I thank the chairman of the Ag committee, and I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank my colleague from New York.

I respect my colleagues from California and from Georgia, but let's just stop the nonsense and call it what it is.

I have a district that consumes more Greek oil and Italian oil than you can ever imagine. It's not rancid, and they don't have any problems. The producers here are the ones with the problems. The people buying it, the distributors, all the different restaurants--their costs would go up exponentially. They know good oil, and they haven't had a problem. Of course, there is always going to be a problem in every industry, but this is nothing more than a multimillion-dollar earmark, so let's call it what it is; but I respect the fact that they're sticking up for their States.

Olives, just like oranges, are tested, but we don't test orange juice. Grapes are tested, but we don't test the wine. We do test olives, but we shouldn't be testing olive oil. It would be the only manufactured good tested as a commodity. That would be a mistake. Even the CBO says it would be tens of millions of dollars in costs. We can't afford

that for our jobs throughout the country. We can't afford that for our industry. This is a specialty earmark. I respect the intent, but it is bad policy, and I would ask everyone to oppose it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the life and memory of a marvelous Staten Islander, a model citizen, and a devoted family man, Mr. Joseph A. Pinnola, 83, who passed away on May 14th at his Dongan Hills home.

Born in Brooklyn, Joseph Pinnola moved to Great Kills in 1966 and settled in Dongan Hills in 1974. In 1944, at the age of 14, Mr. Pinnola began working at a drugstore to support his family after the death of his father. He started his career with Brooklyn Union Gas Company about three years later, working as a messenger. Mr. Pinnola served in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1954, attaining the rank of staff sergeant during the Korean War. On guard duty one night, he sounded an alarm that alerted his company to a fire that had broken out in the compound where thousands of his comrades lay sleeping. He was also assigned to the Army Security Agency, working in cryptography and counter intelligence. On at least one occasion, he is said to have cracked a key enemy code.

On his return to civilian life, Mr. Pinnola continued working for Brooklyn Union while he took night classes at St. John's University. He earned his B.A. in accounting from St. John's in 1954, and was promoted to programmer at Brooklyn Union. He would go on to play a large role in the development and implementation of the company's computer systems throughout the next three decades. In 1982, as he continued moving ahead with his career, Mr. Pinnola graduated from the executive program in business administration at Columbia University. He was named senior vice president and chief information officer at Brooklyn Union in 1991, and retired three years later.

Affiliated with several organizations, Mr. Pinnola served on the board of trustees of Brooklyn Hospital. He was also a member of Community Board 2 and involved with the Jacques Marchais Center for Tibetan Art in Richmond. In his leisure time, he enjoyed jogging, cooking, drawing and playing the piano. Above all, he cherished spending time with his family and he particularly loved taking vacations with his children and grandchildren to Long Beach Island. ``He was happiest around his family and grandchildren,'' said his son Joseph. He courageously supported his family after the tragic death of his grandson, Christopher S. Pinnola, in 2007. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, the former Anita Adinolfi; his sons, Joseph, Steven, Richard and Kenneth; his daughters, Mary Pinnola-Waring and Joyce Pinnola; a sister, Nina Perry, and 10 grandchildren.

In all, Mr. Pinnola led a full life, enjoyed a successful career, but above all, always made time for his greatest of all joys, his beautiful and loving family.

Madam Speaker, I proudly rise in support of this legislation, H.R. 634, the Business Risk Mitigation and Price Stabilization Act of 2013. H.R. 634, as has already been noted by the chairman and my colleague, is truly a bipartisan piece of legislation that has passed this House previously in the 112th Congress with overwhelming support.

I would like to thank my colleague, Mr. Peters, for working on this with me--this is an extremely important

issue, and it is a pleasure to work across the aisle--as well as my colleagues on the Agriculture Committee, Mr. Austin Scott and Mr. McIntyre. Of course, I want to thank Chairman Hensarling for his leadership on this issue, as well as for his leadership as chairman of the full committee, and also thank Ranking Member Waters.

H.R. 634, as has been noted, will clarify the intent of Congress under the Dodd-Frank Act by providing an explicit exemption for the true commercial, nonfinancial end users of over-the-counter derivatives from having to post margin on uncleared derivatives transactions. This exemption is extremely important for job creation and economic growth, as well as price stabilization for average consumers.

Despite clear legislative history to the contrary, regulators continue to misinterpret the Dodd-Frank Act as giving them authority to impose margin requirements on true end users. H.R. 634 will ensure that nonfinancial end users remain exempt from margin requirements and that the regulators do not--I emphasize, they do not--exercise authorities that were not specifically given to them by the Congress.

If margin requirements were imposed on these nonfinancial end users, it would harm our economy by very simply diverting working capital from productive uses such as reinvestment into the business or job creation. And this legislation prevents this, and that's also extremely important to protecting American jobs and our economy.

True end users are firms and companies that use derivatives to manage their various financial risks. For example, firms use these products to protect against changes in interest rates if they've sold floating rate debt as well as to protect their profits earned in other currencies from variations in foreign exchange markets.

The benefits of this legislation are not limited to American businesses but extend into the heart of our communities. This bill will help keep consumption prices stable for hardworking families and for individuals. If true nonfinancial end users were required to post margin, their hedging costs could become so high that they could abandon the practice. This would lead to larger variations in consumer prices for a whole host of products, which has been said, things like groceries and airline tickets, and would create economic instability.

There's a study that has shown that imposing a 3 percent margin requirement on over-the-counter derivatives held by the S&P 500 companies could cut capital spending by $5.1 to $6.7 billion and cost 100,000 to 130,000 U.S. jobs. With the unemployment rate at 7.6 percent, this is a consequence that simply cannot be overlooked.

So, in closing, I ask that my colleagues once again support this commonsense, bipartisan pro-jobs legislation.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

I rise today in support of my amendment that would fund the National Urban Search and Rescue Response System at $35.18 million, which is level funding compared to FY 2013 but still reflects a reduction of roughly $6 million from fiscal year 2012.

The National Urban Search and Rescue Response System, or US&R, provides a significant national resource for search and rescue assistance in the wake of major disasters and structural collapse. A typical US&R task force will conduct physical search and rescue operations, provide emergency medical

care to trapped victims, assess and control hazards such as ruptured gas and electric lines, and evaluate and stabilize damaged structures. Due to the critical lifesaving nature of their mission, US&R task forces must be prepared to deploy within 6 hours of notification and must be self-sufficient for the first 72 hours.

These teams have been deployed in responses to the Oklahoma tornadoes, Superstorm Sandy, the Japanese tsunami, the Haiti earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, 9/11 attacks, and many, many other disasters. Current Federal funding for the Nation's US&R teams only provides a fraction of the funds necessary to maintain each task force. It's important to note the recent devastation left in the wake of the Oklahoma tornadoes, as well as Superstorm Sandy, and the subsequent response underscore the importance of the national search and rescue capacity. Providing proper funding for the Urban Search and Rescue Response System will help ensure these highly skilled teams are available to respond to major emergencies without jeopardizing the budget priorities of our local first responders.

I'd also like to thank my colleague and friend from Virginia (Mr. Connolly), who's the lead cosponsor of this amendment and a strong, strong advocate for the Urban Search and Rescue program.

Therefore, I urge you to vote ``yes'' on this amendment and properly fund this critical program, and I yield back the balance of my time.

I have an amendment at the desk.

I rise today in support of my amendment that would prohibit any funds made available by this act from being used by TSA to implement changes to the current list of prohibited carry-on items for air travel.

Specifically, this amendment would stop TSA from allowing knives back on planes for the first time since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Today, following months of outrage from nearly every corner of the aviation community, and with our amendment looming tonight to block the policy, TSA abandoned its proposal to allow knives back on planes. I do commend TSA for reversing its irresponsible decision for one that is smart and prudent. However, we still need to pass this amendment tonight to make sure this is the law of the land and ensure that there will not be another reversal in the TSA's position regarding knives on planes.

We live in a post-9/11 world, and there is no excuse to take liberties when it comes to public safety. As a former Federal law enforcement agent, I know firsthand that even a two-inch knife can cause very serious harm when used by a trained individual. There's simply no place for a knife in an airplane cabin; and if one must travel with a knife, then they can check it in a bag.

Over the last 2 months, my colleagues and I have heard from flight attendants, air marshals, pilots, TSA screeners, and a whole host of airlines who are all 100 percent in agreement that allowing knives to be brought into the cabin of passenger planes is dangerous, it's unnecessary, and it's irresponsible.

Further, we've heard a chorus of objections to TSA's misguided proposal from groups such as the Coalition of Flight Attendants Union, Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, Coalition of Airline Pilots Association, and American Federation of Government Employees, along with American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, U.S. Airways and, most importantly, the American people. Their opposition makes it clear that permitting knives on planes creates unnecessary risk for airline passengers and those serving them at 30,000 feet.

In advocating for this change, TSA Administrator Pistole has stated: ``There have been no attempts by terrorists to use a knife to commit a terrorist act aboard an aircraft since 9/11.'' Well, the way I see it, this should be a great indicator that the current policy is working and needs to be kept in place and not repealed. Simply stating that there haven't been any terrorist attacks with knives on planes since 9/11 does not mean that the terrorists won't carry them out in the future.

I want to thank my cosponsors of this amendment--Representatives Markey, Cook, Swalwell, Reed, Ros-Lehtinen and Wasserman Schultz--who have stood in strong opposition to TSA's decision to jeopardize America's security.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I move to strike the last word.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the amendment offered by my friend and colleague, Mr. Cassidy. I'd also like to thank my colleagues across the aisle, Ms. Waters and Mr. Richmond, for their support.

I do want to clarify one thing, because I think that the statement was made that it's not an unintended consequence for premiums to go up and go down, and that is true. But the unintended consequence that we're speaking about is the consequence that many of those that have lived in these areas for 40 or 50 years are suddenly going to lose their homes because of an extreme rise in premiums upwards of $15,000 and more. So that's the unintended consequence. I just wanted to make sure that that was clear.

And I know this, not because I, myself, live on the coast in a flood area, but because Superstorm Sandy left a trail of utter destruction in New York City, particularly in Staten Island and parts of Brooklyn, a destruction that was absolutely unprecedented in the city's history.

Tens of thousands, tens of thousands of my constituents found themselves homeless. Their lives were turned upside down, and they're wondering how they're ever going to rebuild or ever move forward. Quite simply, many of my constituents lost everything to Superstorm Sandy, and it will be years before their lives return to any sense of what I would consider normal.

So to ask these victims of a natural disaster who find themselves in this horrible position, through no fault of their own, to pay upwards of $15,000 a year in a flood insurance premium so soon after this disaster took everything from them amounts to nothing more than them being victimized yet again.

So if these premiums were to go into effect, the reality is simple. For many of my constituents, they're going to find themselves unable to pay both their mortgage and their flood premiums. And their property, in the best case scenario, will lose considerable value. But in the worst case it will become completely worthless. This, to me, is unacceptable.

And this is why I support delaying the implementation of section 207 of the Biggert-Waters Act, so that Congress will have the time to reexamine and look at these rate increases and consider ways to ensure the future viability of the flood insurance program while, at the same time, ensuring that flood insurance remains affordable to those that need it most.

So I ask my colleagues to consider all that these individuals have been through, all that they have lost, and bring some understanding to the unintended consequence of not only losing everything they've ever owned, but now, because of flood premiums, possibly losing the entire value of their home.

So I ask for their support on this amendment.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on June 11, 2013 the Fireman's Fund Insurance Company will celebrate their 150th anniversary at the New York City Public Library on 42nd Street. Originally founded in San Francisco, California in 1863 with a mission to assist the widows and orphans of fallen firefighters, the Fireman's Fund grew into a national company with significant size operations in New York City and other locations throughout the United States.

The Fireman's Fund has played an important role in New York's history with the company insuring, among other things, Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St Louis flight from New York to Paris in 1927, the construction of the Radio City Music Hall during the 1930's and the World Heavyweight Championship Fight between Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali in Madison Square Garden. More recent work of note has been the company's tremendous response efforts to the 9/11 World Trade Center Tragedies, and its excellent work in coming to the assistance of those who suffered damages to their homes and businesses during the 2012 Hurricane Sandy disaster.

Over the last eight years the Fireman's Fund Heritage Program has provided over $30 million in grants to Fire Departments throughout the nation, allowing them to purchase safety equipment and training services that might otherwise have gone unattended during this difficult time of constrained public spending. Closer to home, the company has given $630,000 to New York City and another $1.2 million to the rest of New York State. Furthermore, on June 12, 2013 at a public ceremony, the Fireman's Fund will present checks awarded under the auspices of three of its major insurance agents that total more than $60,000.

New York City has always played a prominent role in the United States and international insurance business, and we are pleased that the Fireman's Fund and its affiliated companies have chosen to be in lower Manhattan providing quality jobs and excellent risk management services to America's businesses and families.

Mr. Speaker, It is an honor to recognize the Fireman's Fund today and we commend the company and its employees for the valuable services they continue to provide. In our transitory times, 150 years is an impressive feat and we extend best wishes for the continued success of the company. May it grow and prosper, bringing with it the company's generous legacy of assisting the Firefighter whose daily lives are dedicated to our own personal safety.

Mr. Speaker, this week, architects, code officials, homebuilders, architects, engineers and representatives from the building trades will convene in Washington to celebrate High- performance Building week.

The annual event features briefings, meetings, and other educational opportunities to showcase and promote the good work being done to construct and maintain buildings that are more resilient, use less energy, and mitigate their impact on the environment.

As a member of the High-Performance Building Congressional Caucus, I know that building owners and operators work hard to find new creative ways to minimize the impact that rising energy costs have on their operations.

Many of these owners and operators are beginning to see the fruits of their labor, as improved designs of new buildings, and smart retrofits of existing buildings, free up capital and allow managers to commit more resources to their core operations, rather than to utility bills.

One of the easiest, most cost effective ways to improve building performance is to ensure that proper insulation is installed in a building.

While most of us think that insulation is only for our walls and attics, thermal insulation for piping and equipment, known as mechanical insulation, is a vital component for commercial and industrial applications.

In an effort to address this issue, I introduced H.R. 184, the Mechanical Insulation Installation Incentive Act of 2013. This legislation is designed to incentivize commercial and industrial facility owners to make their buildings and facilities more efficient and put people back to work.

According to the National Insulation Association, improved insulation for piping and mechanical components in commercial and industrial settings will help business save more than $4.8 billion a year.

These improvements will also save resources to the tune of more than 82 million barrels of oil, or 19 million tons of coal.

I ask all my colleagues to consider supporting H.R. 184. It's a commonsense bill that will save money, improve facility operations, put people to work, and help our buildings and facilities perform to a higher standard.

Mr. Speaker, in closing I would like to acknowledge the hard work that our nation's architects, engineers, and building professionals do to improve the condition of our homes, schools, and businesses.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I very much appreciate the opportunity to speak in support of my bill, H.R. 180, the National Blue Alert Act of 2013. As a former FBI special agent, it is a very unique honor for me to have the House consider this important legislation during National Police Week, where thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world converge on our Nation's Capitol to honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice to protect our citizens here at home.

On a personal note, I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and to all the brave men and women of the NYPD for their service to our great city. I encourage all my colleagues to treat every week as if it were National Police Week.

Truly, it is the sacrifices made by these great individuals that inspired me to introduce this important legislation. During my career as a special agent in the FBI, I witnessed firsthand the danger posed by criminals who attack law enforcement officers, and the particular danger they pose on our communities. Time and time again, we have seen that if criminals are willing to attack a police officer to avoid apprehension, then there is absolutely no limit to the lengths they will go or the victims they will target to avoid justice.

According to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, 127 officers have been killed in the line of duty during 2012. We can take a look at States that had officers killed in the line of duty from Texas to Pennsylvania.

While it is impossible to completely transform the hazardous nature of the work our law enforcement officers do day in and day out, there are steps that we can take to enhance their safety and quickly apprehend those who put them at risk. The National Blue Alert Act does this by creating a national Blue Alert communications network within the United States Department of Justice. This will disseminate information on suspects who are being sought in connection with the death or injury of law enforcement officers.

I have had the distinct pleasure of working with some of the bravest men and women this country has to offer. I really believe that, similar to Amber Alert, Blue Alert would rapidly notify our law enforcement agencies. It will notify the media and the public so that we can have the help that we need to aid in the apprehension of some of the most violent criminals.

Additionally, this legislation would further encourage the expansion of the Blue Alert program beyond the handful of States where it is currently existing by helping the development of Blue Alert plans, regional coordination, and the development and implementation of new technologies to improve Blue Alert technologies.

This legislation is supported by many. It's supported by a number of law enforcement organizations, including the Sergeants Benevolent Association, the National Sheriffs' Association, the National Association of Police Officers, the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, as well as the Fraternal Order of Police.

I am certain that the National Blue Alert Act will enhance the safety of our communities as well as the law enforcement officers who protect them, and I encourage its swift passage today in the full House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 130 I was unavoidably detained and couldn't vote within the time allotted. Had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate Eileen and Mike Long on their fiftieth wedding anniversary, and to celebrate the lasting bond of love and happiness they have shared during their life together.

Mike, a born and raised New Yorker, has led a proud career of public service. A former Marine and New York City Councilman, he has unquestioningly served his country and the residents of Brooklyn. He continues his service today as the Chairman of the New York State Conservative Party.

Eileen served the people of Staten Island and Brooklyn honorably as an aide to both Representative Susan Molinari and Representative Vito Fossella.

Mike and Eileen were married in 1963 and are the proud and loving parents of nine children and seventeen grandchildren and one great grandchild.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the 11th Congressional District of New York, I ask all my distinguished colleagues to join me in congratulating Eileen and Mike Long on their fiftieth wedding anniversary and wishing them fifty more.

Mr. Speaker, on March 20, 2013, I was unavoidably absent from the House and missed rollcall votes 83, 84, 85, 86 and 87. Had I been present, I would have voted ``no.''

Mr. Speaker, today I stand with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in honoring a joyous day for our proud constituents of Greek and Cypriot descent. As an enthusiastic member of the Congressional Hellenic Caucus, I am truly honored to commemorate the 192nd Anniversary of Greek Independence and celebrate the ties that connect our two great democracies in strength and fellowship.

In reflecting on Greece and America's longstanding tradition as friends and allies, we also honor the accomplishments of countless Greek and Cypriot Americans, many of which first immigrated to our country and grew their livelihoods in New York City, a longstanding bastion America's magnificent diversity. I represent the 11th Congressional District of New York and am proud to serve a large and thriving Greek and Cypriot American community. The remarkable cultural festivals thrown by the Holy Cross Orthodox Church in Bay Ridge, or the Holy Trinity/St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Churches on the West Shore of Staten Island are beloved neighborhood celebrations that are looked forward to by residents of all backgrounds every year. The countless businesses, services, and entrepreneurial endeavors provided by Greek and Cypriot Americans in Staten Island and Brooklyn attest to the strength of, and support for, this thriving community.

Greek Independence Day is an ideal moment for all Americans to contemplate the roots of our own democratic tradition. It is important to remember that when the Founding Fathers set out to structure our young republic on firm footing, many of the laws and principles were based on the ancient political philosophy of the Greeks. Appreciating the very architecture of the United States Capitol, our Temple of Freedom, or reading through the Constitution reveals the profound impact the culture and history of Greece has had on our modern customs and institutions.

It is with great pride that I rise today to honor the independence of a nation that, for centuries, has championed the very rights it has had the distinct honor and privilege of nurturing into existence: those of liberty and participation in the democratic process. I have come to know first-hand the vibrant cultural heritage Greek and Cypriot Americans offer to local communities in Staten Island and Brooklyn, and I have every confidence that the common bonds between the United States, Cyprus, and Greece shall live on for generations to come.